


Stayed for Just Desserts

by LadyShadowphyre



Series: tumblr prompt basket [23]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean is So Done, Gabriel would be proud, M/M, Protective Castiel, Random OC sadistic researcher, Sam Winchester Is A Good Boyfriend, Sam and Cas enact just desserts, animal cruelty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 21:37:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13221747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyShadowphyre/pseuds/LadyShadowphyre
Summary: The one thing that had bothered Sam for years about being a hunter was John Winchester's insistence that anyone human needed to be protected from everything non-human, as if there were no human monsters, just supernatural ones. Castiel just wants to save the guinea pigs from their earthly perdition.





	Stayed for Just Desserts

**Author's Note:**

> Hooray for tumblr prompts! This took a bit to work out, but I'm finally happy with it.

**I** N RETROSPECT, SAM thought the point where the case went sideways was when he took Castiel with him to question the dead researcher’s lab partner while Dean looked into the researcher’s girlfriend. Castiel had gotten a lot better about handling interviews even if he still preferred to interview household pets or stray dogs rather than humans, so that wasn’t the problem, except that was exactly the problem.

“Agent Rose!” Professor Douleur snapped, interrupting his complaints to Sam against his late partner, Dr Steifeleiche, and glaring at Castiel. “Please stop petting the test subjects!”

“Your ‘test subjects’ are in considerable distress,” Castiel said. Sam looked over at the edge of a growl he could hear just under the angel’s usually bland tone as Castiel added, “This one, for instance, is currently suffering from malnutrition and dehydration because her food and water is contaminated, while her nearest neighbor appears to have developed a severe genital infection from the lack of clean bedding. I rather doubt your experiments, such as they are, would be harmed by providing them with clean food, clean water, and sanitary living conditions.”

“I rather doubt you have the intelligence to comprehend the nature of these experiments!” Professor Douleur blustered, not noticing the way Sam’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “The state of their living conditions quite accurately reflects the living conditions of those people most effected by the maladies we are studying!”

“Did the guinea pigs give consent for these sorts of experiments to be carried out?” Castiel asked seriously, his own eyes narrowed.

“They’re  _animals_ ,” Professor Douleur drawled condescendingly. “It’s not up to them to consent, just provide results!”

“What Agent Rose is getting at,” Sam broke in with a razor smile for the professor, “is that we’re going to need access to Dr Steifeleiche’s schedule, correspondence,  _and_  your research proposal and most recent funding allocations. For the investigation into your partner’s death, of course.”

Professor Douleur was suspicious and snappish, but they got the information Sam had requested stacked neatly into a manilla folder. Sam kept up the ‘lawyer smile’ as he thanked the professor for his cooperation and ushered a stonily silent Castiel away, not saying a word about the glare the angel shot the professor as they left. Once they were outside the building and away from the labs and most prying eyes, Sam reached out and took Castiel’s hand, threading his fingers through the angel’s. “You okay, Cas?”

“I am conflicted,” Castiel admitted. “There is clearly injustice being done to those animals, and the man was quite unpleasant even if he had nothing to do with Dr Steifeleiche’s death and is therefore excluded from our mission. And yet...”

“And yet you really wanna help those animals,” Sam said, nodding. “I get it, Cas.” He stared up at the clouds for a moment, the setting sun starting to turn the edges pink like cotton candy. Slowly, the ghost of a mischievous smile began to tug at the edges of his lips as he glanced down at the folder of information still in his hand. “Hey, Cas? Did Dean or I ever tell you about how we first met Gabriel?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

**S** O, GET THIS," Dean said blandly as he slid into the booth across from Sam and Castiel the next morning. "Seems the researcher you two interviewed yesterday was admitted to the hospital last night for the cumulative effects of syphilis, gonorrhea, and a lot of strange cuts that look like small animal claw marks on his--" 

"Let it go, Dean," Sam said placidly, sliding a mug of coffee over to his brother. "By the way, I know you don't want any dogs in the Impala, but how do you feel about guinea pigs?"

Dean looked from his brother’s entirely too calm face to Castiel’s flint-eyed stoic expression, then eyed the line of their arms which were pressed together despite there being enough room in the booth to hold two grown men comfortably leaving a large space between Castiel’s other side and the window that was covered by Sam’s jacket, and snorted softly. “Whatever,” he said, picking up the mug and taking a drink. “They make a mess, you clean it up.”

“Of course, Dean.”


End file.
